Dozens of illegal immigrants forcibly evacuated from rescue ship: Libyan navy

Libyan navy said on Wednesday that dozens of illegal immigrants refusing to leave a cargo ship that rescued them were forcibly evacuated.

"During the past 12 days, Libyan authorities have used all peaceful ways to convince the illegal immigrants to leave the ship which has been in Misurata port since Nov. 9," the Navy spokesman Ayob Qassem told Xinhua.

"The illegal immigrants were taken to a number of reception centers" after being "forcefully disembarked," he said.

Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe because of insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of illegal immigrants rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan security services.